Attachment for shuffleboard game boards



Feb. 10, 1953 B. E. PARMER 2,628,103

ATTACHMENT FOR SHUFFLEBOARD GAME BOARDS Filed July 8, 1950 INVENTOR. 6,9042 4.- I A/914i? Patented Feb. 16, 1953 ATTACHMENT FOR SHUFFLEBOARD GAME BOARDS Baciel E. Farmer, St. Helen, Mich.

Application July 8, 1950, Serial No. 172,745

5 Claims.

This invention relates to the game of shuffleboard and particularly to an attachment for increasing the interest of the game.

Shufileboard played on tables usually is provided with a recessed alley or channel alon each side of the playing surface into which the disks or pucks will fall when they overrun the side edge of the playing surface. It is an important object of the invention to provide an attachment for each side of the playing surface, preferably demountable for optional use, which prevents the disks or pucks from sliding off the side edges of the playing area and instead causing them to rebound into the playing area similar to the deflection of billiard balls on the cushioned edges of a billiard table. Another important object of the invention is to provide an attachment of this character for each side of the shuffleboard which does not require any alteration or modification of existing shuifle- H board construction and which is quickl attachable to and readily detachable from the side edges of the playing surface. A further important object of the invention is to provide an attachment for each side of the playing surfaces of a shulileboard which is composed of few parts readily fabricated and assembled together at low cost.

Various other objects, advantages and meritorious features of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a table-type shuflleboard showing the attachment of the present invention in mounted position along the opposite sides of the playing surface,

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view through the shufileboard construction of Fig. 1 taken along line 22 thereof,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of one of the rail members constituting a part of the attachment and showing the manner of detachably mounting the same alongside of the playing surface, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top view of one of the rail members and a detachable supporting bracket therefor.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a conventional table-type shuffleboard comprises an elongated rectangularly shaped central board It which may be approximately twenty feet in length and twenty inches wide. The upper sur face of the central board it forms the playing surface upon which the elements referred to as 2 disks or pucks are slid from one end to the other end thereof. One such disk is shown in dotted outline at I2 in Figs. 1 and 2.

Extending along each longitudinal side edge of the central board ii! is a recessed alley or channel I i into which the pucks may fall when they overrun the side edge of the playing surface. the central board iii constitute the inner side walls of channels I i. Marginal upright vertically extending members 18 constitute the outer walls of channels M. The parts heretofore described form the conventional parts of a shuffleboard game played at table height.

The invention relates to an attachment which is optionally usable along each of the opposite longitudinal sides of the central board it] and serves as a rebound wall similar to the cushioned edges of a billiard table. Each attachment comprises a rail member 25 extending for a part of the length of the board [0. As shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, the rail member of each attachment is preferably of a generally L-shaped cross section. Although one rail member 29 may extend for approximately the full length of the playing board It, it is preferred to provide two short members brought into edge abutting rela-" tionship in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Thus mounted on the shuflleboard, each pair of rail members 20-29 form an elongated continuous guard rail along the major length of the board 10 but terminating short of the opposite ends thereof.

Mounted on the inner face of each rail member is an elongated body or strip of resilient material indicated at 22. This strip may be formed of rubber or a rubber-like substance. Preferably, as previously mentioned, each rail member 2a is constructed with an L-shaped cross section to provide an inner face 2t which is recessed back from the side margins of the rail member. The resilient strip 22 is mounted on the recessed face 24 and projects laterally therefrom in the manner shown best in Fig. 3.

Each rail member 20 is mounted against a side wall 16 of the board 16 so that the resilient strip 22 is disposed slightly above the level of the playing surface in position to be engaged by a disk or puck as shown in dotted outline at the right of Fig. 2. The rubber strip is preferably so dimensionally proportioned that it projects outwardly from the recess 24 sufficient to bring its outer edge substantially flush with the vertical plane of the side wall It of the central board.

The outer longitudinal side walls It of Although each rail member may be secured permanently to each side wall l6 of the central board 10, it is preferred to provide means for demountably attaching the rail member in place without requiring any alteration of the game board structure. For this purpose, each rail member is provided with one or more extensible and retractible means which bear upon vertical member 18 and hold the rail member in proper position. This means preferably comprises a: plurality of turnbuckles of the character best shown in Figs. 3 and 4. All the turnbuckles are similarly constructed and each comprises a central externally threaded member having reversed threads in each end section thereof. Fixed to the mid-point of the member 26 is a circular control body or knob 28 which is preferably knurled on its exterior to facilitate turning. Threaded on one end section of the member 26 is a U-shaped element 30, the member 26 passing through the closed end of the element 30 and. being. threaded thereto. A generally similarly shaped element 32 is provided on the opposite threaded; end section of the member 26. As shown generally in Fig. 1, a plurality of tumbuckles are associated with each rail member 20 and they bridge the space between the rail memher and the upright. member I8 and force the rail member against the side wall. of the game. board 10.

Although the turnbuckles may form separate parts of the attachment and be placed in operating position after the rail member is properly aligned with the central board l0, it is preferred to secure one end of the turnbuckle to the rail member to form a unitary assembly. For this purpose one of the U-shaped members, such as element 32, has the extremities of its legs pivotally connected or hinged to the rail member.. For this purpose, a pair of L-shaped brackets 34 are provided for each turnbuckle assembly. These brackets have one of their sections secured by screws 35 or the like to the outer face of the rail member. The remaining section of each L-shaped bracket overlaps upon the extremities of the legs of the U-shap-ed element 32 and they are pivotally connected thereto by means of short aligned pins 38. In this manner each turnbuckle is hinged to the outer face of the rail member with which it is associated.

The opposite U-shaped element 30 of each turnbuckle assembly has the extremities of its legs bent outwardly as at to form pressure feet for abutting the vertical face of the adjacent upright l8. It. is thus apparent that each rail member may be clamped in position by rotating the knob 28 in a direction to cause the U-shaped' elements to move away from. one another. This extensible movement will bring the feet 40-40 of the outer U-shaped element 30 of each turnbuckle into engagement with the upright l8 and upon further turning movement the rail member will be pressed with considerable force against the side wall 16 of the game board II]. Inthis manner, each rail member may be quickly mounted in position and held from movement during its use. When it is desired to use the shufileboard in the conventional manner, it is very easy todemount the rail. member 20 by simply reversing the turning movement of the knobs '28.

WhatI claim is:

1. In combination with a shufileboard havin oppositely disposed channels depressed below the playing surface of the board and extending along each opposite longitudinal margin thereof, each channel being formed by a longitudinal side wall of said board and an adjacent parallel outer marginal upright member together with a channel base joining the two at said depressed level, longitudinal rails engaging the side walls of the board, respectively, each rail lying in part at least within the channel adjacent the side wall and, positioning a resilient buffer strip along the longitudinal margin of said playing surface in elevated relation thereto, and expansible means extending from said rails into engagement with the adjacent marginal upright members whereby on expansion of said means the rails are held in firm engagement with the respective side walls of said board.

2. In combination with a shufileboard having oppositely disposed channels depressed below the playing surface of the board and extending along each opposite longitudinal margin thereof, each channel being formed by a longitudinal side wall of said board and an adjacent parallel outer marginal upright member together with a channel base joining the two at said depressed level, longitudinal rails engaging the side walls of the board, respectively, each rail lying in part at least within the channel adjacent the side wall and positioning a resilient buffer strip along the longitudinal margin of said playing surface in elevated relation thereto, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced expansible meansextending from said rails into engagement with the adjacent marginal upright members whereby on expansion of said means the rails are held infirm engagement with the respective side walls of said board.

3. In combination with a shuffleboard having oppositely disposed channels depressed below the playing surface of the board and extending along each opposite. longitudinal margin thereof,

iii)

each channel being formed by a longitudinal side wall of said board and an adjacent parallel outer marginal upright member together with a channel base joining, the two at said depressed level, longitudinal rails engaging the side walls of the board, respectively, eachrail lying in part at least within the channel adjacent the side wall and positioning a resilient buffer strip along the longitudinal margin of said playing surface in elevated relation thereto, and expansible means extending from said rails into engagement with the adjacent marginal upright members whereby on expansion of said means the rails are held in firm engagementwith the respective side walls of said. board, said expansible means being pivotally secured: to said rails;

4. In combination with; a shuifieboard having oppositely disposed channels depressed below the playing surface of the board and extending along each opposite longitudinal margin thereof, each channel being formedby a longitudinal side wall of said board and an adjacent parallel outer marginal upright member together with a channel base joining the two at said depressed level, longitudinal rails engaging the side walls of the board, respectively, each rail lying in part at least within the channel adjacent the side walland positioning a resilient buffer strip along the longitudinal margin of said playing surface in elevated relation thereto, and expansible means extending from said rails into upright abutting engagement with the adjacent mar.- ginal upright members whereby on expansion of said means the rails are held. in firm engagement with the respective side Walls of said board. 5. The arrangement set forth in claim 1 wherin the expansible means are turnbuokles.

BACIEL PARMER.

REFERENiJES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Haskell Sept. 23, 1902 Number 6 Name Date Bradshaw May 13, 1913 Breithut May 19, 1914 Beatty June 9, 1914 Jordan Dec. 27, 1921 Roseborough Aug. 4, 1925 Brown Aug. 11, 1925 Klaudt Aug. 6, 1935 Kotler Oct. 28, 1941 Cusano Mar. 2, 1943 Polis Dec. 6, 1949 Harbeck Feb. 21, 1950 

